Fireballs & Familiars

by T Elizabeth Guthrie

  Balan braced his weight on his elbows to make sure he didn’t crush her. He felt no inclination to pull out. He wanted it to last as long as possible, but finally he softened to the point where it slipped out on its own. Then and only then did he move off her, and as he rolled onto his back, he pulled her across his chest.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced,” Jenna couldn’t help but tell him. “Can we do it again?” She was only half kidding, even though she felt a little tender in her nether regions.

  “Anytime you want,” Balan replied with a chuckle. His inner demon growled its own agreement.

  “Give me an hour,” she said and snuggled into his side. She was asleep in no time.

  Balan heard his phone ringing, and while he hated getting up, he knew the ringtone was Marshall and figured it had to be important if the boss man was calling. He eased up, making sure not to wake Jenna, and retrieved the cell before it rang again. “Hello.”

  “Hello, demon. I thought we had a deal.”

  He knew instantly it wasn’t his boss. “How the hell did you do that?”

  “You mean use the ringtone for your fake-assed friend? That was easy. Just a simple spell, really.” Khobrel paused and laughed. “Now, where was I? Oh yeah, we had a deal. You were to obey and bring me the girl, and I wouldn’t blab your secret to everyone.”

  “I am not bringing you anybody but myself. If you have a beef with me, then take it up with me. Leave everybody else out of it.”

  “I don’t want you, demon. You have nothing I need. I want your little girlfriend.”

  “Hell no!” Balan didn’t bother denying she was his woman. He knew deep down that she was, even if she hadn’t figured it out yet.

  “Bring her to me, or else. You have one hour.” The line went dead.

  Balan went to look down at the sleeping Jenna. Why does Khobrel want you? He climbed back into bed and pulled her against him once again, then gently shook her awake. “Jenna, baby, wake up. We need to talk.”

  “Wha…”

  “Wake up. Come on, we have to talk and then I need to call Marshall and the gang at C. PB Delight.” He gently shook her again.

  She sat up and stretched before looking back at him. “What do you want? I was sleeping quite nicely, thank you.”

  “I wouldn’t have woke you if I didn’t need some answers. Khobrel just called, and he wants me to bring you to him.” He paused and watched expressions cross her face. He realized he was almost able read her like a book. “Why do you think he wants you in particular? I thought you didn’t know him.”

  “I don’t know him,” she replied, then sighed. “I guess it’s time to come clean, isn’t it?”

  “Probably. Especially if it’s something we need to know so we can protect the others.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m known as a red witch, and I have been chasing the bad things that go bump in the night for most of my life.”

  “What the hell does that even mean?” he demanded.

  “It means I’m a paranormal chaser, and while I don’t know Khobrel personally, I know others like him. He wants me so I can’t tell what I know.” She got up to grab her robe and slipped it on before turning back to face him. “I was born this way, with the mark and powers of the red witch, and was trained to combat evil.”

  “I’m confused. How did you end up here?” He began to grow concerned, and his inner demon growled a warning. Shut up already.

  “I had a case go wrong and decided to get out of the family business. I didn’t do my damned job and got another witch killed is what it boils down to.” She hated admitting it but knew there was no turning back at this point. “And what I didn’t tell you or the others at the club is that the night everyone came to help out with the shop, once you all had left and it was just me and Louis, Khobrel showed up and managed to get inside. He blasted Louis, knocked him out, and I had to fight him to get him back out of the building. I have it warded now so he can never gain entrance again.”

  “How strong are you?”

  “Strong enough,” Jenna replied and opened the door to walk out. She’d had enough of the conversation for a few minutes and wanted some alone time. The door slammed in her face with no one touching it. She turned slowly to look back at Balan.

  “I don’t think so, little witch. We’re not done with this conversation.” He got up and walked closer, to stand towering over her.

  “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.” She used her own powers and pushed him back into the wall. She grinned when he slammed into it. “I don’t owe you any more answers.”

  Balan had no clue how strong she really was but knew if he pushed her enough, she’d give him some idea at least. “If that’s how you want it, fine.” He peeled himself off the wall and went for her. He caught her off guard and wrapped both arms around her, picked her up—trying to dodge her kicking feet—and threw her on the bed where he went down with her. He covered her with his much larger frame and used his powers to make the robe disappear. He was skin to skin, and his inner demon went wild. Balan knew at that point that he’d lost control.

  Jenna reached up, dragged his head toward her own, and kissed him hard, smashing her teeth against his lips. She was determined to make sure he knew she was giving in willingly, that he wasn’t getting the upper hand. She reached between them and guided his hard cock to her opening and raised her legs to wrap them around his waist.

  Balan, in partial demon form, thrust firmly into her. He still retained enough of his human half to go slowly at first, but she was urging him faster almost instantly. He gave in and rode her hard until he felt her spasming around him. He rolled onto his back, still buried deep, and brought her up to ride him.

  She looked down into his face and froze. Staring back at her wasn’t the man she knew but something more. He was still sexy as hell, but he was different. She didn’t bother thinking about it for long and rose just enough to keep him barely inside, then slid back down again. She did it over and over, jogging up and down until she felt his claws sink into her thighs and he pulled her down tight and howled. She felt his cock jerk, and it triggered her own orgasm.

  Several minutes later, she came back to herself and propped up on one elbow to look at him. “What the hell just happened?” She noticed he, again, looked the same as he always had.

  Balan groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “I guess there are some things I should tell you too, but first we have to alert the others at the club and go find Khobrel.” He pulled her down for a long, hot kiss. “He’s not getting you. You are mine and mine alone.”

  Chapter Twenty

  She smiled at him with a dopey look on her face, and she knew it. “We’ll see.” She went to the bathroom to clean up and dress. She came out and discovered Balan gone, and she went through the house looking for him. “That son of a bitch left me.” Her phone rang, and she snatched it up. “What?”

  “Is that any way to talk to the man who has your demon lover?”

  “Listen to me, you sorry piece of shit. You’d better not hurt him.”

  “You should be more worried about what I’m going to do to you if you don’t come down to your lovely little candy shop.”

  She went to answer him back, but the line went dead. “I swear to all that’s good I am going to kill this bastard.” She went into her bedroom, took out the one piece of jewelry she never thought she’d wear again, and slipped it over her head. Then she grabbed her keys and headed to the shop. She debated with herself the whole way whether to call the others. She chose not to put their lives in danger.

  Jenna walked into the now-unwarded shop and waited to see where Khobrel was waiting. He called out immediately, so she went into the adults-only candy room. “Why here?” she asked with as bitchy a tone as she could manage.

  “Well, it’s fitting since I’m about to mate you,” Khobrel answered. “I wanted a room big enough for our little audience to en
joy the view, and since this room is filled with sexual references, I thought it was perfect for our little tryst.”

  She gagged, then laughed at him. “Why in the world would you think I’d ever fuck you?” She needed to stall until she could figure out where he was keeping Balan. She reached out with her powers and couldn’t find him. She did, however, realize Byron was in the building.

  “Because you have a choice. You can either sleep with me, bear me a son, and save your little friends or I can take what I want from you and keep you locked up until you give birth, then kill you and the others.” He paused for a dramatic moment. “Either way is fine with me.”

  “There is no way in hell I’m going to submit to you.” She gathered her power close and made ready for a fight. “Take your best shot, old man.” She’d goaded him, wanting him to make a mistake like last time.

  “I don’t think so, little witch. I don’t want to harm the merchandise.”

  Jenna felt large arms clamp around her before she could do anything to save herself. She’d been so focused on Khobrel, she’d failed to detect the exact location of Byron. She knew now. “Byron, you don’t have to do this. We’re friends, remember?”

  “I want you, Jenna, so yes, I have to obey his orders for now. He promises I can have you once you’ve given him a kid,” he said. He loved how she felt against him.

  “Damn it, Byron. You and I both know he won’t go through with it.” She was desperate and trying to figure out a way to get free. She struggled against his much larger frame but to no avail, and with her arms bound, she couldn’t blast either man.

  “Please shut her up. I’ll finish getting the spell ready and then you can bring her back here.” Khobrel turned away from them and resumed drawing the large pentagram on the floor.

  Byron picked her up and managed to dodge most of her kicks as he dragged her into the back room. He grew suspicious when she went limp in his arms but saw she’d passed out when he set her on the floor. “I’m so sorry, Jenna, but I love you and need you. This is the only way you’d ever give me the time of day.” He didn’t bother tying her up.

  Jenna was awake but made sure he didn’t know it. She was saving her energy for the fight she knew was coming. The one thing she had on her side was going to be the element of surprise, and she knew it. She stayed limp and started working her own spell to gather more earth magick into her.

  Byron waited for Khobrel to call him to bring her back, but an hour later, he went to check on the other man. “Maybe he fell asleep or somethin’,” he said to himself.

  With her own spell finally complete, she quietly got up and crept into the main part of the store. She looked around the corner and discovered Khobrel had Byron bound and gagged. Khobrel brought a large ritual blade up to the larger man’s neck.

  “I’m sorry, old boy, but it has to be this way. I need that little kick your death will give me to work the main spell to ensure my lineage with the witch.”

  The mountain of a man sat with fear in his eyes and waited for death.

  “Oh, hell no you don’t!” Jenna shouted and blasted Khobrel through the wall and into the storeroom. She ran back into the room, ready to blast him again. She was met with a ball of black, evil energy, which picked her up and suspended her in the air.

  “You stupid little bitch. You almost ruined the whole thing. Now, be a good girl and sit tight. I’ll be right back for you.” Khobrel walked through the blast hole and went straight for Byron.

  Jenna tried every spell she could think of to get loose, but nothing worked. “What the hell kind of shit is this?” She struggled and cussed until she heard another voice and froze. She didn’t recognize it at first.

  “Khobrel, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “So, you finally let him go free. I’m impressed, demon. I never figured you’d do it.” Khobrel paused again. “However, you’re interrupting me at the moment, and I really need to finish this.” He went back to chanting.

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  Movement from the front room had her straining to figure out what was going on. It sounded like a scuffle, not a fight. “Fuck this. It’s time to let my true self out and stop this madness.” She reached up, took the medallion she wore, placed it on her shirt front, and called forth her ancestors. They answered immediately and knew what to do. Jenna felt power surge through her, unlike anything she’d ever known. So, this is what it’s like at full power. How intoxicating.

  She popped the black bubble surrounding her and landed on catlike feet. It was time to take the fight to the enemy and make sure nothing could hurt her new friends ever again. She walked into the room and saw Byron still sitting in the center of the pentagram. He kept cutting his eyes to the window that faced the back of the building. She glanced in that direction and saw Khobrel and another man, who looked familiar somehow, lobbing energy balls back and forth, trying to blast the other.

  “Sit tight, Byron, and I’ll be back for you.” Jenna walked through the window as if it didn’t exist. “Gentlemen, can I join in?”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Two heads turned toward her, and everything went silent as they stared. She knew she must look different after all. She sure felt different.

  “What did you do?” Khobrel asked.

  “I’ve become your worst nightmare.” She raised a hand and threw a red ball of light and energy at him, which knocked him back into the dumpster. Then she raised another and waited for him to get up.

  He came up blasting her with everything in him. She was pushed back again and again, until he felt double blasts coming from the other direction. He looked to see Balan, in full demon form, had just gotten up and was coming for him.

  The demon had taken full control of the man. It walked toward Khobrel, enraged that the thing would dare try to harm his woman. Balan moved on swift feet and grabbed the man in clawed hands, shaking him until he went limp, then dropped his body to the ground. He moved to check on the witch and worried she might pull away from him in this form.

  Jenna stood her ground and waited on the demon to approach. She knew deep down it was Balan and that he would never hurt her but seeing him like this did spook her a bit. Okay, a lot! She stiffened when he stepped up to her but then started laughing when he sniffed her. “What the hell, Balan? Checking to see if I stink?”

  The demon looked taken aback and then joined in her laughter. It was a strange sight to see a seven-foot, full demon standing in the parking lot of a candy shop, laughing. Jenna loved it.

  “Well, how fucking sweet.”

  They both whirled around to see Khobrel standing on his feet once again. He was fixing his shirt and walking toward them.

  “Did you think that would really stop me, demon?”

  “No, but I knew it would give me a chance to get to Jenna.” Balan stepped in close to her and took her hand in his.

  She felt the instant connection and how he was feeding her energy without Khobrel knowing. She didn’t look at him, not wanting to draw the suspicions of the man. She didn’t say a word, just drew the energy into herself, preparing for one hell of a blast when needed.

  “You do realize I’m going to kill you and fuck your little girlfriend, right?” Khobrel was trying to make him mad so he’d screw up. “And I’m going to fuck her over and over until she’s pregnant.”

  “Why do you want me?” Jenna couldn’t help herself. Curiosity was getting the best of her. “I’m nobody special.”

  “On the contrary, little witch. I happen to know just how powerful you really are. You see, I know your lineage.”

  “Well, good then. You won’t mind when I do this.” She let go of Balan and sent a wave of deadly energy toward Khobrel. She used everything in her, everything that came from said lineage as well as the power from her demon lover. It washed over Khobrel and made him shed his human persona. He was vulnerable now, and she knew it.

  “You fucking bitch!” he screamed at her and fled. With a loud boom! and
the strong smell of sulfur, he just vanished.

  Jenna dropped, but Balan caught her quickly enough so her head didn’t strike the pavement. She felt a black void slipping over her, then nothing more.

  “Come on, baby. Wake up, please.” He was scared half to death that she might not. He gently took her into his arms and carried her inside, all the while imploring her to wake. He heard a noise from the other room but didn’t dare leave her, in case it was Khobrel again. The sound stopped, and he picked up his phone to call Marshall and the others. He needed help, and he needed it now. His inner demon let the human half out to deal with the others.

  “Hey, Balan, where the hell are you? I’ve been looking all over for your ass.”

  “Marshall, I’m with Jenna at her shop. We just had a nasty run-in with Khobrel, and she’s hurt. I need your help.” He didn’t get a chance to say anything else before he looked up and saw Marshall and Darrell walking in. “How did you do that?”

  “Never mind that. Let me see Jenna,” Darrell said and went to take her from Balan. He backed away when he heard the demon growl. “Or I can check on her right where she is.”

  They all heard a noise coming from the adults-only room, and Marshall said he’d go check it out to see who was there.

  “Is she okay?” Balan asked.

  Darrell looked up at him. He didn’t want to admit there was nothing he could do, but he knew he had to be honest. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not taking that for an answer. I know someone who can help her.” He stood and gripped Jenna tightly in his arms. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He closed his eyes in defeat and wished himself to the one place he never planned on returning.

  Home.

  “Well, well, well. Look who’s returned.”